HYDE — The visiting Forest Hills Rangers showed why they are ranked second in the state in Class AAA by MaxPreps on Thursday afternoon, as they ran their record to 9-0 on the season with an 8-1 win over the host Lady Bison, whose losing streak is now at three, as they dropped to .500 at 4-4 with the loss.
Star pitch Avery Smiach gave herself all the run support she really needed, blasting a two-run homerun in the top of the first inning.
Teammate Ana Spangler provided the insurance runs with two solo home runs, as the visitors had 14 hits on the afternoon.
The Lady Bison were limited to two singles, one each by Aevril Hayward and Mia Helsel, but they did plate a run, one more than they managed off of Smiach a year ago in a 3-0 Lady Ranger win.
Down 4-0, the hosts showed some life in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Lead off batter Madi McBride worked Smiach for a walk on a 3-2 pitch. With Hayward at bat, the Lady Rangers had their lone error on the day, as catcher Mylee Gdula showed off her strong arm by attempting to pick McBride off of first, instead sailing the ball into right field allowing McBride to make it all the way to third.
Hayward the broke up the no-no and the shut out as the singled into the hole between short and third for an RBI. However the attempt at a rally was then snuffed out when Hayward got caught in a run down between first and second on the first pitch to Eve Siegel, resulting in out number one. Smiach then turned it up a notch striking out the number three and four hitters.
A clean single up the middle in the sixth by Helsel and a walk to Siegel in the seventh were the last two baserunners for the Lady Bison, as Smiach finished her afternoon with 13 strikeouts against one walk.
It doesn’t get a lot easier next week as the Lady Bison host 7-2 Penns Valley on Tuesday and travel to 7-3 DuBois on Thursday.
SCORE BY INNINGS:
Forest Hills 310 030 1 8 14 1
Clearfield 000 010 0 1 2 3
FOREST HILLS — 8
Morgan Gdula-ss 4220, Avery Smiach-p 4122, Mylee Gdula-c 3111, Ana Spangler-1b 4232, Taylor Snyder-cf 4130, Aivah Maul-2b 4120, Trista Cruley-3B 4012, Lynae Mathieson-dp 4000, Payton Pcola-lf 3000, Rhory Whetstone-flex/rf 0000, TOTALS 34 8 14 7.
CLEARFIELD — 1
Madi McBride-lf 2100, Aevril Hayward-ss 3011, Eve Siegel-rf 2000, Joell Henry-p 3000, Haley Billotte-1b 3000, Dalyni Kushner-3b 2000, Megan Wisor-dp 2000, Raigna Uncles-cf 2000, Mia Helsel-2b 2010, Ellie McBride-flex/c 0000, TOTALS 21 1 2 1.
E – My Gdula; Kushner, M McBride, Uncles. 2B – Smiach, My Gdula. HR – Spangler – 2, Smiach. SB – Mo Gdula – 2. CS – Hayward,
PITCHING:
Forest Hills: Smiach – 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 K
Clearfield: Henry – 7 IP, 14 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
WP – Smiach. LP – Henry (1-2).
LADY BISON SCOREBOARD:
Date Opponent Score Record
3/18 CENTRAL 11 – 1 1 – 0
3/20 @ Bellefonte 4 – 9 1 – 1
3/25 BISHOP GUILFOYLE 14 – 3 2 – 1
3/27 @ Tyrone 3 – 2 3 – 1
4/01 HOLLIDAYSBURG 10 – 9 4 – 1
4/04 @ Somerset 3 – 8 4 – 2
4/08 @ Huntingdon ppd. 4 – 2
4/11 FOREST HILLS ppd. 4 – 2
4/14 PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA 3 – 14 4 – 3
4/16 @ Bellwood-Antis ppd. 4 – 3
4/17 FOREST HILLS 1 – 8 4 – 4
4/22 PENNS VALLEY
4/24 @ DuBois
4/26 @ Bellwood-Antis
4/28 @ Bald Eagle Area
4/29 @ Huntingdon
4/30 @ Bradford
5/02 BISHOP CARROLL
5/05 @ Greater Johnstown
5/07 @ St. MARYS
5/09 @ Central
5/12 BELLEFONTE
5/14 PUNXSUTAWNEY
